Perfect Situation
by Cassandra Mulder
Summary: Clark and Chloe are following a lead, but it might lead them to something they never expected.


**Title: **Perfect Situation  
**Author: **Cassandra Mulder  
**Rating: **PG-13  
**Classification: **_Smallville_; Chlark; romance  
**Spoilers: **Not really.  
**Disclaimer: **_Smallville _belongs to those knuckleheads, Al and Miles, the WB, and DC. No infringement is intended, and we already know there's no talking them into sense.  
**Summary: **Clark and Chloe are following a lead, but it might lead to something they didn't expect at all.  
**Written: **April - July 24, 2006  
**Word Count: **3451  
**A/N: **I totally just pulled this one out tonight, edited a bit, and finished it. It was supposed to be a more drawn out, slightly more adult piece, but I decided to take it in a different direction, at least a little bit. I like to go with the less is more approach, because sometimes more is just... more. ;) So I hope you enjoy it, because I got a really fantastic start on this and never had the inspiration to finish it till now. This one's been waiting to be read for awhile now.

* * *

Clark was sitting on the edge of Chloe's desk at the Daily Planet, and she was two seconds from shoving him off of it just for fun.

"I don't think it's a good idea," he said, shifting enough that she was tempted to execute what she had been thinking about for the last five minutes.

"It's a story. That's _always_ a good idea, Clark. We've been over this. I can't sit behind this desk all day, every day, and you're not my father."

"It's a dangerous place, Chloe," he said, in full protector mode. _Not that she ever thinks anything is all that dangerous_, he thought.

Chloe shrugged. "If I'm going to be a reporter there will be danger. I've lived in Smallville since I was thirteen years old, I'm a little used to it," she smirked.

"I'm going with you."

She rolled her eyes. "So you can be my bodyguard?"

"Yes," Clark answered simply.

"And I can be your long lost pal..." she snarked, putting her elbows on her desk and her chin in her hands. "I'm not going to argue with you anymore. You can come if you want to."

"Don't sound so grateful," Clark pouted.

Chloe shook her head and rolled her eyes.

"Okay, roll your eyes, but Paulo Santini is a dangerous man. You said so yourself. He's running drugs out of that club, and you can't walk in there, snoop around, and walk out. His people won't let you."

"If I'm good enough at my job they won't know. At least, not until the story's published and Metropolis' good cops are raiding the place. Something is terribly wrong, and someone's looking the other way."

"And you think you're going to be able to change that singlehandedly?" Clark asked, clearly skeptical. He knew she was good, but not _that_ good.

"You're not the only one that can effect change, buddy," she said, hitting the print button on the document she had pulled up. While her printer whirred obediently, she scribbled something on a piece of paper and handed it to Clark.

"That's the address for The Rage. Meet me there at eight. If you're late, I'm going in on my own," she said.

He nodded and stuck the note in his shirt pocket.

She looked up at him, amused. "And Clark?"

"Huh?"

"Don't wear flannel. We want to get _in_ the club," she teased.

* * *

Clark rushed down the streets of Metropolis as fast as he could go, and made it to the front entrance of The Rage at seven fifty-five. Chloe was already standing outside waiting for him, and his jaw went slack at the sight of her.

Her hair was in a half updo, the ends sticking out crazily, and she was wearing a deep purple dress that barely covered everything he thought should be covered. The skirt was short, the neckline plunged, and there were no sleeves. It was attached to her body with nothing more than a halter and a string tied in the back.

"Put your tongue back in your head, Super Boy," she said with a toss of her head. "You have to be pretty trampy to get in this place."

His eyes had been resting on her legs, clad in black knee high boots with three inch heels, but he shook his head to break the spell. "That's not exactly the word I was looking for," he said, almost breathless.

Chloe's mouth quirked slightly, and she frowned, not quite knowing what to make of his reaction. _Okay_, she thought. _He's acting strangely. At least, moreso than usual._

"Let's see if we can sweet talk our way in here. Fortunately, they let in eighteen and up, but it's still trendy enough we might not fit the bill," she said, looking him up and down. He had mercifully ditched the flannel and jeans routine for something along the lines of his infamous Kal persona. All black, hugging his body in all the right places. If she could focus on the story with him hovering, it would be a miracle of epic proportions.

"Lead the way," he said, trying to focus either on her face or one of the few areas where she was clothed. It wasn't going to be easy. He sighed as she turned around and joined the line to get in. He had always known Chloe was beautiful, but this side of her... This was more than when he had seen her at the strip club over a year ago, and it was sexier than anything she had ever worn.

He could barely focus as she talked to the doorman, and the next thing he knew she had him by the hand leading him through the crush of writhing bodies on a dance floor, as if they were actually together. She was definitely better at this undercover thing than he was.

Chloe looked over her shoulder, and resisted the urge to laugh at Clark. He looked a bit dazed, and she guessed it had been awhile since he had gone nuts enough to enjoy a club. It wasn't really her thing either, but she would do what she had to in order to bring the bad guys down. That was her job. Her future job, anyway, and this was the best training she could get.

When they reached the edge of the dance floor, she let go of his hand and turned to him.

"Clark, are you okay?"

"Uh, yeah, I'm fine," he said, glancing around.

"You look uncomfortable," she said, concerned.

"I'm good, Chloe," he insisted. _If you would put some clothes on, I'd be better_, he thought. He wondered if loosening the collar on his shirt would be too obvious, so he didn't bother. He had to focus and make sure she was safe. He could worry about his physical reaction to her later, after they were out of this loud, crowded, crushing environment.

"All right," she said, surveying the area around them. "Maybe we should dance a little first, so we don't look so obvious," she laughed. "Then we'll see how much we can poke around. How's that sound?"

"It's fine with me," he said, and she took his hand again. He gripped it firmly so he wouldn't lose her in the crowd, and followed her into the sea of people.

"It's been forever since I've been dancing," she said at a perfectly normal level since she knew he could hear her.

"I don't really dance," he said, loud enough that she could hear.

"Oh, I know," she laughed as the song changed. "Lucky for you, this is a slow one."

He took her in his arms, trying to find a place where he didn't have to touch exposed skin. He didn't think he could take it. His hand finally rested on her hip, atop the little fabric there was.

Chloe looked at him oddly again, and moved further into his arms. His hand had no choice but to slide around to her back, and she laid her head on his shoulder as they swayed back and forth to the music. She closed her eyes and imagined things were really the way she wanted them, even if she knew they never would be.

She knew she was the world's biggest masochist, because she should have been able to move on. But she had found that as long as Clark was in her life there was no getting over him, and she certainly didn't want to imagine life without him. It was a double edged sword, and a rusty one at that. This dance, figuratively, had been going on for so long it felt like decades, rather than the mere single digits they were still in.

Clark Kent had ruined her for other men, as oblivious as he was, and she was afraid she would pay for it the rest of her life.

_Focus_, she thought. _Now is not the time to be re-hashing these issues for the billionth time._ She sighed as the song ended and Clark let go of her like she was on fire.

She _was_ on fire, but she didn't know what was wrong with him.

He looked at her worriedly, and led her off the dance floor.

"Are you all right, Clark? You're acting _weird_ tonight. Even for you."

"I'm fine," he said unconvincingly.

"Okay," she said. "It's time to stick our noses where they don't belong."

She led the way since she claimed to know where the illegal activity was. Clark stayed close, and when they had made their way to the back of the club, Chloe signaled that they were close. A string of men and suits milled about, and she pulled him into a dark corner.

"I'm afraid this is where you come in. Do you see that room at the far end of the hall with the black curtain in the doorway?" she asked.

Clark nodded.

"That should be it. I need you to zip in there, take some pictures," she instructed, handing him a very small camera, "and get out as quickly as you can. The camera doesn't have a flash and won't need one, so if you can get in and out unnoticed we'll be good. If someone sees me out here I'll just act like I'm looking for the bathroom. You think you can do it?" she asked, frowning slightly.

"I hope so," he said. "Are you sure you'll be all right out here?"

"I'll be fine, Clark. If I need you, I know you can hear me." She smiled.

"Okay. I'll be right back."

Chloe watched as he ran to the end of the hall, only causing a slight stirring of the curtain as he got inside. She stayed hidden since there was no one around, and she didn't want to be seen if she didn't have to be. She was afraid Clark would have to stop at least briefly to take viable pictures, but she wasn't all that worried about him getting caught or hurt. Hopefully they could disappear fast enough if someone saw something.

She got her answer to that concern less than a minute later when Clark suddenly stopped in front of her, blowing her hair back.

"They saw you?" she whispered quickly.

"Yeah." He gave her the camera and she shoved it in her purse.

Clark picked her up and sped to the other side of the club. He found a dark corner under one of the balconies, and shielded Chloe from view. It took Santini's henchmen a few minutes to make it into their vicinity, and when they did, Clark had to think fast.

He pressed Chloe against the wall, and leaned down to kiss her. It was the oldest trick in the book, but he hoped it would look like they had been there for ages, while hiding their identities.

She struggled for a moment, confused, before she gave in. He was playing dirty, one way or the other, but she figured she might as well take what she could get. She was Take What You Can Get Girl, after all.

He ended the kiss, his forehead leaning against hers while she tried to catch her breath.

"Why did you do that?" she whispered.

"I remembered you pulling that once," he shrugged. "They were after us, we had to hide."

Chloe leaned her head back against the wall and looked at him skeptically.

"There are worse things going on in this club," he said, daring to look over his shoulder. "Besides, I've been wanting to kiss you all night."

She swallowed hard and her eyes widened.

It felt right to tell her the truth, because at one time she had been open to being his. He could only hope after all this time that she still was.

He kissed her again, deeper, more urgently, and she gave as good as she got. She didn't know what was going on, and at that moment she couldn't bring herself to care. Clark was kissing her of his own volition and she was too turned on and too amazed to try to figure it out.

He ran his hand up her thigh till he reached the edge of her miniskirt, and when his hand slipped boldly under it, she moaned into his mouth. He diverted his attention to her neck, and her head fell back as she slipped her arms around his neck and her left foot hooked around his knee to bring him closer.

When she felt his fingers brush the edge of her barely-there panties, she almost stopped cold, but her body wouldn't let her. He teased her there, but then ran his hand across her hip, settling in the curve of her waist.

She was convinced that if he hadn't been holding her up she would have crumbled to the ground. It was hard to believe that she was in a hot, noisy club, cloistered in a dark corner with Clark while he unknowingly threatened her with bursting into flames.

He kissed her again, feeling like he was losing all control of his emotions. That was a dangerous thing for him, and he would consider himself lucky if he didn't burn the place to the ground with his eyes. Chloe had been stirring things inside of him for over a year, but he had been reluctant to act on anything because they relied on each other so much as friends. He didn't want to risk losing that, but seeing her show up like something out of his wildest fantasies had been the breaking point.

Maybe he was just a man after all.

"Clark... what are... you doing?" Chloe panted inbetween his kisses. "I think... they're gone." She was going to pass out if he didn't stop; she knew it.

He finally stopped kissing her, and she searched his face wildly. His body was still pressed against hers and she couldn't think long enough to devise an extrication.

"Do you have your purse?"

She held out the strap that was slung across her body.

"The camera?"

"In the purse," she said, barely above a whisper.

"Then we're leaving," he said decisively.

She opened her mouth to say something, but before anything could come out he picked her up and super sped to her dorm room.

She had gotten a single after Lana left to attend a university in Paris, and it had been a convenient arrangement. She hadn't really intended it for things like _this_ though. Clark had set her down in front of her door, and he was begging her with his eyes to open it.

Chloe didn't know what to say, and she sure as hell didn't know what to do. He wanted to come in so he... so they... He wanted to finish what he had started at the club. She closed her eyes and suddenly her mouth went dry.

"Clark, I'm not sure this is such a good idea."

"Chloe..."

"I don't know what I stepped into here, but it definitely wasn't anything I had expected."

"I didn't expect it either, Chloe." He took her in his arms again. "But I want this. I want you."

Her breathing became shallow as she felt him against her, but she managed to look up into his eyes. "You play dirty, Kent," she whispered.

At that he pulled her even closer. "Whatever I have to do, just tell me."

She pulled his head down and raised up on her tiptoes, kissing him hard. When she let him go, she slipped her key card into the door, and as soon as she was through it he had her in his arms again. He kicked the door shut, and suddenly his hands were everywhere.

"Slow down," she said softly between kisses.

"Chloe." It was a plea.

She stilled his hands and pulled back slightly. "I've been waiting for this a hell of a lot longer than you have," she said. It could have sounded bitter, like an accusation, but it was fact. "I need to take this slowly." She was still trying to get past the fact that Clark had been all over her for the better part of an hour. Her lips were swollen from his kisses, her hormones were _raging_, and she had never been so floored in her life.

She set her purse down on the desk by the door, and wrapped her arms around his neck. "I'm not going to ruin this by talking too much like I always seem to, but you're going to have a lot of explaining to do later."

Clark only nodded before he hauled her up in his arms and carried her to her bed. She tugged her boots off when he set her down and sat beside her.

Her fingers went to the buttons on his shirt, and she couldn't help but think how he was pressing his luck as he kissed her while she tried to unfasten them. She finally made it to his waist and pulled the shirttail out of his pants, pushing it over his shoulders and down his arms. When he was finally free, she took advantage of exploring the skin beneath her fingertips. He was warm and firm, and everything she had ever dreamed about.

Clark pulled her into his lap and untied the single string behind her back, helping her get the halter over her head. He tugged the dress down, revealing all of her, and her eyes flew shut as he gently caressed her skin. Her head fell back slightly and he marveled at her beauty again. She was his now and he would never let anyone take that away from him.

He eased her down on the bed, slid the dress down her legs and tossed it on the floor. He leaned over her and kissed her softly as one hand trailed from her neck, down her side, to her hip, then to her inner thigh. She gasped when he brushed his fingers over her panties, and continued up to her lower abdomen, splaying his fingers across her taut stomach.

Chloe was breathing so hard she was starting to wonder if she could survive the assault on her senses. It was one thing to fantasize, but it was another to experience this moment with the one man she had been fantasizing about all along.

Clark cupped her cheek and turned her face to him. "I don't want to hurt you."

"You won't," she assured him, trying to steady her breathing.

"I haven't... not with my abilities..." He figured it was a little late to be awkward talking about sex when they were half naked next to each other on a bed, but that was just the way he was.

"I trust you, Clark. It'll be okay." She knew he would be careful with her; that he would never hurt her.

That was all he needed to hear. "I love you," he said.

Tears clouded her eyes. "I love you, too, Clark." She didn't have words to tell him how much, but he didn't seem to need them as he kissed her.

* * *

"You're beautiful," Clark whispered into her hair as he held her in his arms..

She blushed. It took a lot to make Chloe Sullivan blush, but lying naked beside her best friend would do it. "Believe me, you're not so bad yourself."

He wasn't bad at _anything_, apparently. She kissed his shoulder as she raised up on her elbow, her head resting on her hand. "You're just full of surprises, Kent," she teased.

"I could say the same about you."

"Which just means I should've shown up half-naked and non-possessed sooner?" she cracked.

"Maybe so," he said, but he was grinning.

"Not that I'm not glad I did or anything, but I wasn't trying to seduce you, Clark," she laughed.

"You didn't have to. I've been in love with you for awhile now, Chloe. I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner, but I didn't really fully realize it myself until my... reaction to you tonight."

Chloe choked, trying to hold back her laughter. "Is that what that was? A reaction?"

Clark gave her a mock glare.

"Takes a hell of a long time for me to get a reaction," she said, pulling a face.

Clark grabbed her by the waist and rolled her over. "Not anymore," he said, kissing her.

"Nice to know," she giggled as he started to more than make up for the previous delay.

Finis


End file.
